Family Of Missing Police Officer Cries For Help

By Abdullahi Omotayo

The family of a missing Police Sergeant, Sunday Ibrahim has called on the Nigeria Police Force to help on the whereabouts of the head of the family who had been missing since July 28, 2017.

The officer who was attached to the Special Protection Unit, with force number 240620 is a father of four and was deployed to protect the family of one Mr. Salawu in Osogbo.

According to the wife of the missing officer, Grace Sunday Ibrahim, “My husband called me a day before the incident to inform me about his assignment. I called his phone the next day but someone else picked his call and told me he was in the bathroom. I waited for two hours for him to return my call but he didn’t.

“So, I called him again but the same person picked it and told me he just went out. Later in the day I called severally but his numbers was not going through.

“Two days after, I went to Zone 11 to complain that he is incommunicado, but I was told that he is probably in a village where there is no connection”, she cried.

The troubled wife added that she, in the company of her brother have gone to Zone 11 and State Command severally to make report but up till now nothing concrete has been achieved about his whereabouts.

Corroborating her story, the younger brother, Ezekiel said since he arrived Osun from Kebbi state over the issue and reported the matter to the police authority, they have only been told that the issue is under investigation.

According to him, “I travelled from Kebbi state down here because of my sister. We have been to Zone 11 and State Command to make inquiry about the missing of my sister’s husband but we still haven’t gotten any relevant information. The only thing they talk about is the robbery attack and how he alighted from the car. We have also reported the case to the State CID, but they told us that investigation is going on”.

Ezekiel added that at the time of the incident, Mr Salawu was not in Nigeria and they had to wait for three weeks before his return.

“We visited the state CID again and fortunately we met Mr Salawu. We were introduced as the family of the missing officer and out of compassion, he volunteered to pay the children first term school fee, which he fulfilled”, he disclosed.

He further added that the last time he went to the SPU office’ the commandant frowned at him and insisted that he should not come back to his office in respect of case of the missing officer.

“That same day, I ran down to the State CID to complain about the issue but I was told to step down for a while. Later on, I realized that most of the officers we have been meeting are being transferred one after the other. It is over seven months now and we have not heard from Sgt. Sunday or know his whereabouts”, he sobered.

Ezekiel revealed that the properties of the missing officer had been returned back to his family, including his ATM card which was used to withdraw his salary and it was paid till December 2017.

She said she had been using her husband’s salary to sustain her welfare and that of their children.

When OSUN DEFENDER contacted the state Police Commissioner, Mr Fimihan Adeoye, he said “Sgt Ibrahim is an SPU officer attached to one Mr. Salawu. During one of his escort duty along Ife express road, there was an armed robbery incident but instead of engaging the robbers, according to eye witnesses in the car, Sunday jumped out of the car and dashed into the bush. Since the incident, we don’t know of his whereabouts neither have we heard

Fimihan added that investigation is ongoing the matter.

“We have written reports and have sent it to the Force headquarters, Sgt. Sunday disappeared with rifle which even makes him a threat to the society. We cannot declare him dead without seeing his corpse.

He also stated that the police has combed the scene of the crime severally but could not find the traces of the missing officer.

“We even informed the villagers around the place of incident to give us information if they see him around; even if he had been shot by the robbers we could have seen his corpse.

Meanwhile, in a phone discussion, Mr. Salawu, affirmed that Sgt. Sunday was deployed to him as a protection officer.

He added: “During the course of assignment, he escorted my family and on their way to Ile-Ife, they encountered armed robbers and according to the driver and others, the officer jumped out of the car and ran into the bush when he sighted the group of robbers. The driver tried turning the car but the robbers opened fire which killed my 6 year old niece”.

He added that the scene of the incidence was visited severally but there were no traces of the missing officer.

On getting to zone 11 to confirm the issue, the officer in charge informed journalists that the AIG is not ready to speak on the matter, even as the Commissioner of Police told reporters that the case of the missing officer is being handled by the zonal headquarters.